Category Archives: dog park hijinx

It’s only fitting to reminisce a bit about those early days so that we can all really appreciate the present!

I don’t remember my old family at all. That’s fitting since they didn’t think too hard about me when they dumped me at the Riverside County Shelter. The folks there try very hard to get cats and dogs adopted out, but Riverside Shelter is not a no-kill shelter. Last year they euthanized over 350 “adoptable” dogs. If the folks at Lhasa Happy Home Rescue had not picked me up last June, I might have been one of those unlucky pooches. Believe me it was quite lucky. Please note that I am NOT a Lhasa Apso. Luckily, Lhasa’s mission includes other small breeds. ( Snorkie’s must be included!) Randee said she fell in love with my ears!

Here is a picture of me in from those early times.

This was taken near the end of August 2010.

I’ve always loved belly rubs. And my ears are quite cute.

Randee, the head of the Lhasa rescue, immediately sent me to live with my Foster Mom. She had two kids and they were great to me. I don’t remember them very well now. I think I was a little traumatized by all the shifting from place to place. Consider this — I was with my first family as a puppy(home number 1) , then when I was about 6 months old they brought me to the pound ( home number 2) , then about a month later, Randee came and got me and I stayed with her ( home number 3) and then with Barbara ( home number 4) and finally…. Finally with my mama. That’s fivedifferent places before I was 10 months old. Let’s face it. I was a nervous wreck. I didn’t really settle down until a couple of months after Mama and Daddy had me. Mama has the vet bills to prove it!

How My Mama Found Me

Mama’s allergic to most dogs so they looked on Petfinder.com for a hypoallergenic dog. (By the way, we think that the study that said that hypoallergenic dogs don’t exist is deeply flawed.) Mama knew that if she went to the local pound, she was bound to fall in love with a dog that would make her eyes red and nose itchy. Finding a forever fur friend is a lifelong commitment. People need to use their heads along with their hearts to match themselves with an appropriate fur friend. Mama saw me online and I fit the bill. I was the right size for our house and the right breed or combination of breeds for her nose! She filled out the adoption forms, cleaned up the house for a home visit from the Lhasa volunteers, and then finally met me!

The rest, as they say, is history.

This is me that first day on Randee’s couch.

The picture is not good. Mama took it with her phone.

The whole family fell in love with me on the spot. Within about 3 hours I was on my way with Mama and the boys to buy me a bed, water and food bowl and dog food. With the exception of vet and grooming appointments, it’s been paradise here!

As he was giving me a belly rub, Daddy told me that I was spoiled rotten!

He’s right!

I am.

How Are We Celebrating My Anniversary?

Mama started the celebration by making my every day food especially savory.

I’ve had a little wet canned food mixed into my kibble every day. OMD! It’s heavenly! I’ve also shared family cook out grub! I’ll just say one word – Hamburger!

To complement my new hair cut, mama got me a t-shirt. I think I look tough.

Daddy thinks I look tough too! Here I am greeting him at the door!

I love Daddy! And I kind of like my t-shirt too. I don’t try and bite it off like my Christmas sweater.

It suits me perfectly.

SECURITY! That’s what I am, that’s my job!

I’m the SECURITY DOG!

It fits my new MUSCLE DOG look!

Mama has also taken me to the dog park a few times this month!

Of course, I don’t wear my t-shirt to the park.

I don’t want to make anyone jealous!

At the park Mama took some pictures of me before I got down to the serious business of playing!

Then it was play time!

Here I am with my new buddy! I never got his name. His Mama was way at the other end of the park!

And here’s my other buddy!

I’ve had a great time at the park! I’ve even renewed some old acquaintances.

I love riding in the car with Mama.

Here we are coming back from the park on one of our many trips this month!

This is just a taste of the type of things that we’ve been doing this month to celebrate my anniversary. Mama says there’s more fun on the way. She mentioned something about a play date with Mo-mo – the poodle down the street. And I think there’s more time at the dog park on the calendar!

But the truth is…

I don’t really need all this stuff.

I’m happy sitting on the couch with my hu-brothers while they play video games or practice the guitar.

I’m happy sleeping at the foot of Mama and Daddy’s bed.

I’m happy pressing my face into Mama’s hand for a ear scratch.

I’m happy sitting on Daddy’s lap while he’s watching a movie.

I’m happy because I’m in my house with a family that will NEVER give me up!

We belong together.

If I have a wish for my anniversary (like a birthday wish!),

It is that every dog and cat can have a forever home where people love and care for them.

That’s my anniversary wish!

I may keep Mama and Daddy up all night barking at critters in the back yard.

I may chew on somebody’s glasses if they are left in my reach.

I may threaten the mail carrier every morning.

I may run under the coffee table when the grooming brush comes out.

I may even jump on the dining room table and steal a piece of breakfast bacon!

We are going away for a week and Opie must be “kenneled” while we are gone.

In order to accustom him to the boarding facility, he’s been having sleep overs.

For those who are thinking about how to do this here is a pictorial account of what we are doing to get Opie ready for our trip away.

First, off to the Dog Park!

This is so he doesn’t associate riding in the car with going someplace unpleasant —

All the time! ( Trips to the vet, the groomers, the day care — YUCK) Instead, think of trips to the dog park, the pet store and to pick the boys up from school and just to have a really good SNIFF FEST!

Here he is at the dog park!

Good times!

On the way home we stopped at the pet store and bought some new treats and extra food.

Highly recommend – Welcome Home Duck sticks ( really easy to break up into smaller pieces, unlike any of the jerkies which you need to take the kitchen shears to cut reasonably.)

Then we went home for a bit – mostly to gather up his food for the two night sleep over, his snacks and to write his name on his harness (Just like camp – we have to label everything!)

Then…

another Car ride, and soon we were at Doggie Central.

The idea behind going to the park was to make him a little tired before we leave him at the Doggie Central boarding facility. We also wanted to give him some quality play time with some canine pals. Not pictured is all the affection he got at home. Beau coup Tummy Rubs and lots of duck treats for sitting and staying like a champion.

That night we missed him terribly in the night! There was much vocal complaining from his hu-brothers and I’ll admit I didn’t sleep as well without him walking on me at least once during the night. Every time I heard a siren go by I worried that the facility was burning down with my dog in it. I finally had to get up and play a little IPAD scramble to clear my head.

Yes, I’m a true mom! Paranoid to the max!However, Opie seemed to pass a decent night.

Here are today’s Webcam pix.

I love the webcam!

WHEN THE SAVE FUNCTION WORKS AND I DON’T HAVE TO HIT ALT PRINT SCREEN TO GET AN IMAGE OF MY DOG!

Weirdly, the save function for the webcam is not working!

So, sorry for the picture of my screen fellow bloggers.

However, if you choose any facility for your dog make sure they have a webcam. I think it’s stupid for them not to have one. They are not that expensive, easy to install and the peace of mind they give a dog owner is really measurable.

I wonder if they could put webcams in the schools too! At least the pre-schools! Just a thought. ( Paranoid Mamas of the world UNITE!)

(And yes, I am doing weight watchers online. I have a blog there that I am not paying much attention to. LOL)

Still, it’s reassuring to see him running around the next morning. He seems calm and the little dominator dogs that were their back in January do not seem to be there today. Excellent!

I fully expect him to be worn completely out when we pick him up tomorrow morning.

Two nights at Doggie Central!

I forsee a special chicken breast dinner for a certain Mr. Furry Pants. :)

Hopefully, these two nights will be enough to prepare him for the 5 nights coming up. It won’t seem as if we’ve abandoned him. That coupled with a few extra perks we’ve arranged should make it more bearable.

Opie here! You all must know that it’s sometimes hard being the only doggy in the house. The family goes off to some event and leaves you at home for hours. It is a little annoying to be left out of the fun, especially when it involves

BALLS! LOTS AND LOTS OF BALLS!

My hu-brothers were at their school’s Hoop-a-thon! They raise money for their school by shooting lots of baskets. People pay by the basket! Last year they bought new uniforms for the teams and stuff like that.

I wish I could have gone. I think I could make a basket. I can fly through the air and DUNK! Like a DUNKIN’ MACHINE!

I can nose dribble, and in a game I’m good at tripping up the other guy.

My hu-brothers agree that I have SPEED! AGILITY! HEART!

THIS SNORKIE CAN JUMP!

Maybe because I am such an AWESOME BUTUNDER APPRECIATED PLAYER

My hu- brother let me wear his Hoop-A-Thon Medal.

I think I look quite snazzy. Mama just needs to sew up the ribbon so that it will fit me properly. (I love the fact that I can probably chew the medal a little bit if it dangles down a bit, but don’t tell Michael that!)

Maybe we should have our own DOGGY–THON! I know some of you don’t have my MAD BASKETBALL SKILLS, so maybe we could make it something that every four legged FIDO can participate in. How about a Doggy FETCH-A-THON! We don’t have to limit it to Balls. It could be anything you like to fetch – balls, Frisbees, sock monkeys, stuffed squirrels. We could have it in a big green sunny dog park! Ahhhh! Sounds like heaven doesn’t it?

I’m going to talk to Mama about this. There are so many good causes to raise money for!

BEST OF ALL – we could have neat medals for our participation! And think of the treats!!!

What do you say doggers?

Gotta run! Michael wants to shoot some HOOPS with me! I have to be gentle and not beat him TOO badly. He is my LITTLE hu-brother!

O, be some other name!
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose,
By any other name would smell as sweet..

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Opie has more than one name in our house. This is not surprising. We all have many names. For example, I am Mom, Mama, Mommy, Josette, Honey, sweetie, and of course, WOMAN!!! As you can imagine, each of these names is evoked in a different situation. The person using the name is usually in a distinct emotional state when using it. Opie has different names as well. What follows is a list of his names and the situations which warrant each use.

Opie — Default name. He is referred to in casual conversation by this name.

OPIE! – He’s being called for some reason. Here are some possible reasons:

He’s on the couch trying to bury his bully stick

He’s got Dad’s cargo shorts in his mouth and Dad isn’t in them.

He’s barking at a critter in the backyard after midnight.

He’s knocked out the screen to get at the critter and bolted into the dark backyard after it.

He’s pulled the leash out of my hand in an effort to “climb” a tree to get at a squirrel.

DICKENS DAWG! – My husband calls him this when he’s being a little Dickens and a rascally little fellow.

I’ve always wondered how that term evolved. Charles Dickens is the only Dickens I can think of, but it seems odd to call evoke his name when calling someone a rascally mischievous character. He certainly has some rascally characters in his novels. The “Artful Dodger” comes to mind as well as Fagan from Oliver Twistand Uriah Heep, the disgustingly “‘umble” character in Great Expectations. Somehow, the use of the term “Dickens” to denote a rascally type fellow does not connect that well for me. Wouldn’t it be more logical to have developed specific references to the characters in our popular culture rather than to their author? I can easily see calling Opie, you little “Dodger,” and saying, ” Don’t give me those “Uriah Heep” eyes!

If I make a reference to Cujo, you will immediately know I m referring to the vicious dog in a Stephen King novel of the same name. If I say a dog sounded like the “Hound of the Baskervilles,” you may not have read that particular Sherlock Holmes story, but it sounds creepy and mysterious, right? You don’t refer to a vicious dog as a little Stephen King or as a scary sounding dog as an Arthur Conan Doyle dog. We refer to them by their character names. Cujo and The Hound! It just doesn’t make sense. Okay, I digressed.

Honey Dawg — obviously, this is when he’s being sweet, nuzzling in for a pet, flipping over for a belly rub and showing his puppy adoration. We call him this because it just feels right!

Crazy Nut Dog! — This name is invoked when his squirrel frenzy will not make him mind!

Moron Dog — He’s usually done something stupid which has exasperated us — tied himself up in his leash, stepped in his water bowl and caused it to spill all over the kitchen floor, or worse yet stepped in another dog’s poo at the dog park, or gotten himself “marked” when he was smelling some dog’s underbelly while said dog was marking a pole. He got “baptised” today by Poppy, one of his little buddies.

Stink Dog — Well, I don’t really have to explain that do I?

Mama’s baby — When he’s the only sweet child in the house. He hasn’t forgotten his homework, had a tantrum, hit his brother, refused to do his chores or complained about the laundry not being done and not noticed that you are wearing a new outfit and feel a little fragile. Mama’s Baby always knows just when to come and sit on your foot and look up at you and lick your knee. Mama’s baby knows just when a little doggy adoration is just what is needed.

And so those are the many names of Opie! He’s clearly a multi faceted dog.

Opie here. I went to the dog park this morning after dropping off my human puppies at school. My mom just discovered that there’s a really good crew of pups like me that come in the early morning. We get along great. We run and play and really have a great time. I had a good time last time I was there. I met Bella and Chase! They were really nice. Today, I had a good time too. I met Bella and Chase and Princess and Bailey. I think Bailey and Chase and I are going to be really good buddies.

We have a really good dog park. Medium guys like me and little guys like Bella ( Schnoodle) and Chase ( Chihuahua/Terrier/? ) all stay on once side of the fenced park and the big guys stay on the other side.

This isn't Chase, but it could be! He looks just like this.

This isn't Bella, but she looks like this. Her hair is curlier and I think she's cuter, but she's my friend so I'm biased.

Today, the park was a little wierd. Normally, I’m not real barky at the dog park. But day, the minute I walked in this big white dog barked at me through the fence. Well, I had to bark back didn’t I? He was trash talking and … well, … Opie don’t play that! This was kind of unusual, by the way. Normally, the big dogs don’t even notice us.

My mom lured me away from the fence with a tennis ball, and soon I was playing with my friends. I played fetch with Mom and she was really happy, because I usually don’t like to play fetch, but all my friends were doing it and they seemed to like it. It was fun. I like it when I get to play with Mom and the dogs.

This little guy looks like Chase, but it's another friend of mine. We're having a good time trying to dominate each other. But we are just playing!

This is me having a good time at the Dog park. We are just playing!

It really wasn't the bulldog's day. This isn't him, but he looked like this and he looked so sad when he left.

Mom wouldn't take picture of the fight, but it was bad. This is a drawing she found on the Internet. Imagine more dogs in the picture. It was scary.

And then the park got scary

We were having a great time and suddenly I heard something scary. A lady on the other side of the fence was screaming and crying. The big dogs were not barking in a nice way. They were growling, and this big old bulldog was on his back. They were biting him, and he was crying. All of us stopped and watched. The grown ups on our side of the fence were really quiet and really tense. The people on the other side of the fence — the big dog side — were all yelling at their dogs to stop biting the bull dogs. They were pulling on collars and trying to get them away. I could tell the big dogs were really excited. They had been having fun biting the bull dog and they didn’t want to stop. They were in a frenzy. There was one really big guy in particular who wouldn’t stop. His dad was using his strongest voice and pulling on his collar. The bull dog wasn’t moving when they got the other dogs away. His mom was crying. I looked back at my mom and the lady she’d been talking to ( Bailey’s mom). She had her hands over her mouth. They were crying too. I think they were scared. I could tell my mom was upset. The lady picked up her bull dog and carried him to the fence. He sat up. She got some water and a towel. I could see he had blood dripping from his head and around his neck. My mom and the Bailey’s mom asked the lady if she needed anything. There is an emergency vet a block from our park, and my vet is just a few blocks away. I wanted the bull dog to got my vet. He’s really nice. He’s got great treats and I like his really soft voice. It makes me calm. I was feeling a little funny.

That was really scary. My friends and I didn’t play for a while after that. We sat by our moms and dads. We weren’t scared, though. We were guarding our moms and dads. I could tell they were unhappy. The mean dog on the other side of the fence was still over there. He’s big and if he wanted to I knew he could jump over the fence. I stayed right by my mom. I wasn’t scared, but I didn’t want him to bite any of my friends or my mom. If he bit my mom, I’d have to take him down. I may be smaller than him, but that’s my mama and he’d better not try it. I know Bailey was feeling the same way. She was right under he mom’s feet. Princess and Chase were guarding their dad.

Eventually, somebody threw Bailey a ball. I had to chase her and the ball, and we were back to playing. We stopped again though because the mean dog started ANOTHER FIGHT! He must have been in a really bad mood. Finally, his dad took him home. I think he was in trouble. He wasn’t going to get any treats when he got home. I think he must have made some other big dogs get in a bad mood too. After he left the old dogs who’d been in the first fight and a couple of new dogs got into ANOTHER fight. That makes THREE fights! I don’t think it was the same sort of thing though. The new dogs came in with their dad and a really small human. My mom says that type of human is called a toddler. I could hear them dogs, and they were just saying, “Stay away from our human puppy. She’s ours and we guard her. Yes, we know she smells good like food and poo, but she’s ours so BACK OFF!” I can relate to that. I feel that way about my small humans. However, mine are lots bigger but somehow that doesn’t matter. They are mine and I love them!

Finally, it calmed down and Bailey and I went back to playing. We had a good time.

It was scary today, but it was exciting too. I’m so sleepy. I can’t wait to get in my bed and have a nice long nap.